Saddle for youngster- older model or adjustable??

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Sundae

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Just looking for opinions really from people who have been there, done it!

I have about 450 to spend on a saddle. Saddle fitter recommended kent & masters or thorowgood (currently have a wintec but I don't like it), as he is only 4 and just started work.

I am not sure whether to find a nice comfy older model of saddle & change it every few years (if doesn't fit) or go for a second hand K&M changeable. I tried & loved an Albion K2 a friend had that did fit, but there arent many around in my budget. I have also seen a Equxtra that would probably fit for reasonable money. I know its dependant on what fits the horse (ID), so I am only looking at one that have been recommended to try (Ideal, Albion, Jeffries etc).
 
Personally I'd go for an older saddle and change as necessary. The adjustable/changeable gullets only alter the front arch, so, from my experience, what starts as a level fitting (albeit narrow) saddle then drops in front when you go up a gullet size.
 
I decided to go for an older model with my youngster. I have a GFS general purpose. After years of riding my other horse in his fabulously comfy dressage saddle I was slightly worried about changing. I have found it to be a lovely saddle. I have saddle fitter booked in March and I absolutely hoping that we can keep it!!!!
 
If the Wintec fits (like it or not), the Thorowgood or K&M shouldn't fit, they are different shaped trees. If you don't like the wintec because it isn't leather but it fits get a bates (it is to wintec what a K&M is to a Thorowgood).
 
mainpower said:
Personally I'd go for an older saddle and change as necessary. The adjustable/changeable gullets only alter the front arch, so, from my experience, what starts as a level fitting (albeit narrow) saddle then drops in front when you go up a gullet size.
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surely the flocking can be altered if needed? Thorowgoods are wool flocked.
 
Have you tried a TG or K&M? They are good saddles with wide panels and gullet. Should be a good for an ID. I would try one first before you buy one though just in case they don't fit.
I think buying 2nd hand is always a good idea. If you buy a big brand and get a good deal you shouldn't lose much (if any) when you sell it on again! It's just a stab in the dark knowing what will fit and suit for now...
I would beg borrow and steal as many friends saddles as you can so you know what suits. For Instance my horse suits German makes Kieffer and Passier. He doesn't suit a lot of British makes. He's also rising 10 and on his 4th saddle. Second hand was the def the way forward for us :) x
 
I think changing every few years might be a little optimistic!! Could be every 6 months :)

But the first saddle I bought for my youngster lasted us 18 months although was altered twice before I part xed it.

Any saddle you buy whether it be a changeable gullet or not might need changing completely after a year, the gullet change won't make it fit any the better at the back or through the panels.

Ask a saddler to come out with different options and see what fits now, you might get away with not needing to change for a couple of years, if might be 6 months, that's the joy of youngsters we just have to accept :)
 
I got a Thorowgood T8 jump for my youngster when the saddle fitter came out with a load of saddles to try.

I find that it is very like my K2 jump when riding so if you like that, then maybe worth trying it to see if it fits you both.
 
I'm on my 4th saddle with my rising 6 yr old I bought 2nd hand leather saddles and changed/ traded in when they didn't fit anymore lucky that my saddle fitter carries a large stock of 2nd hand saddles. I haven't lost much money doing it this way.
 
I tried doing it with non-adjustable saddles - we went through 6 or 7 saddles from Nov 2013 until July 2014. I did lose money. I then admitted defeat and got a Kent & Masters and haven't looked back. It is personal choice though, so if you don't like TG or K&M (some people find they tip them forward) don't feel that it has to be an adjustable saddle :).

I'm planning on getting a Native Saddle Co (Andrea Hicks) saddle in a year or two when she'll be 6/7 and should be mostly done with the growing.
 
Ah thanks all!! Its actually been really helpful!

I seem to have 'forgotten' the woes of saddles....

Glad I posted as its made me remember that I am not (probably ever) going to find a perfect one.... Sadly saddle fitter doesn't have a large selection, so unless I change to a different fitter, I think I may risk good ole ebay! The last three saddles I have bought of eBay have all fitted the horse/pony in question (I guess I was lucky!). I think I will hold out for a decent brand second hand with the idea of selling on if it doesn't fit. I am still not against K&M - just I think I probably need a very secure one to get us through the next 6 months & then take it from there!!
 
I'm going through the same dilema at the moment with new pony, and, having spent a fortune on several second hand saddles with my other horse when he was a youngster, i've taken the plunge and got a wow saddle. Which, i am hoping, will mean i wont need another one. Bought it bit by bit on ebay and apart from one of the air bags appearing to be flat so far so good!
 
I tried to reply to some specific posts but it's not letting me...I would basically go with whatever the saddle fitter you most trust recommends. It is very true that altering the width of an adjustable saddle doesn't necessarily keep it working, as horses widen they get flatter but when you widen a tree it gets curvier. Sure, altering the flocking helps a bit, but the panels of the synthetic treed saddles tend to be rather deep and squishy and it's hard to flatten the fit and after two width changes you're probably running out of scope to keep it fitting. Yes some people find K&M/TG tips them forwards, going up a seat size is supposed to help (stops you sitting part way up that long slope to the cantle) but of course that's not always possible with all horses.
 
reading this thread with interest, just bought a 5 year old irish sport horse, who is a bit lean at the moment short coupled with a decent wither and has some growing to do still. my saddle fitter came to check him over and see what I should use for him at the moment and I showed her a pretty old TG maxam saddle a friend had lent me to just try on him. she told me not worth fitting him for a long term saddle properly at the moment as he is going to change shape drastically over next couple of months when we are working him. so she checked the general fit of the maxam ( used with a numnah and decent half pad) and it doesnt sit badly on him at all. she then suggested i get hold of a saddlepad with shims to help adjust the front width and back as required as he fills out - and ride him in that for the time being. Trouble is I am not very keen on the saddle as no knee rolls at all. I will stick with what she said as makes sense. but was wondering what other makes of saddle would be a similar shape to the maxam saddle that I could try which have at least some knee roll on them ( I looked at the newer TG range saddles and they all seem to be T4 T8 etc and they do seem to be for cob type flatter backs. saddler also said the wintec range of saddles would not be a good fit on his type of back, so does that rule out the isabel werth dressage ( as i quite like those!)
 
Palindrome said:
surely the flocking can be altered if needed? Thorowgoods are wool flocked.
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This is just my opinion from personal experience of trying to get a saddle to fit a very flat backed horse. But if you're going to get the flocking altered there's not much advantage to having an adjustable gullet.

My ever changing shape/size horse is an XW flat backed (but not wide as in leg stretching) ID/Welsh D. He's had various makes and types of saddles (even one that he changed shape too much to use then he changed again so it fitted). I bought a GFS flat panel close contact jumping saddle as that was all I could get in my budget to fit him. He goes well in it, I don't find it comfortable at all. I prefer a deeper seat, but maybe I have to sacrifice what I want for something that he finds comfy!
 
I have just bought my (just) 5 year old a second hand saddle with the intention of part exchanging it again when necessary. I spoke to the saddler yesterday about it and he said it could do for 3 months, could be 6 months. Basically how long is a piece of string. I plan to just px it when needed for another second hand one until he is 7 maybe and then hopefully get a new or newer one that I will have to do a bit more saving for. So I think you just need to go with what fits now, it could be an adjustable one but that same adjustable one may not be a good fit shortly down the line.
 
I bought an adjustable K&M secondhand. The saddler and the physio are happy its the right shape for the mare and we make fine adjustments with an adjustable half pad. I would love a new Albion but there's no way I'm going to splash out until she has stopped growing.
 
mainpower said:
This is just my opinion from personal experience of trying to get a saddle to fit a very flat backed horse. But if you're going to get the flocking altered there's not much advantage to having an adjustable gullet.
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When you widen a saddle you make it curvier but sadly the horse gets flatter as it gets wider so being able to adjust the flocking actually only adds to the benefit of being able to change the gullet, not being able to change the shape of the panel is very limiting. Of course it still doesn't mean these trees fit all shapes, especially wide and flat where even the "wide" and "cob" trees are usually not truly flat enough, and tend to perch and roll.
 
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